Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The name is derived from the Sanskrit pañca (five) vata (Banyan Tree). This area of five Banyan trees is situated on the banks of River Godavari in Nasik, Maharashtra, India.
The Ramayana has a huge presence here as every other stone and pond here has a tale from the great epic to narrate since Rama, along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman, stayed in Panchavati during their Vanwasa (exile) period. There is also a cave here called Sita Gumpha where they worshipped Lord Shiva during their exile.The ancient Shivalinga still exists in the small temple in the cave and is visited by devotees.
Lakshmana is supposed to have cut off Surpanakha's nose (nasika) at Panchavati. The famous Laxman Rekha is located in Panchavati about a kilometre away from Sita Gumpha. It was from here that Ravana abducted Goddess Sita. Today this area is a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction.
Panchavati is a pilgrims' and tourists' destination for various reasons. My recent visit was very personal - to immerse the ashes of my beloved father, who passed away after leading a very fruitful life of eighty eight years. It is believed that if the ashes of the deceased are immersed in the 'Ram Kund', the soul attains nirvana. Ramkund is one of the most important places in Panchavati.It is so called because Lord Rama is believed to have bathed there. The ashes (Asthi) immersed in this kund or pond, are immediately absorbed in the water. A dip in this sacred kund is also considered very holy. Adjacent to this is the Gandhi Lake in which there is a white marble monument, in memory of Mahatma Gandhi. His 'Asthi' were immersed in Ramkund too.
Situated in Panchavati area, on the bank of river Godavari is the Naroshankar Temple of Rameshwar built by Naroshankar Rajebahaddur in 1747. This temple houses a famous bell , called 'Naroshankar'. This bell is a memorial to celebrate the victory over the Portuguese by the Maratha Ruler Bajirao Peshwa's younger brother Chimaji Appa who won the fort of Vasai from the Portuguese. Naroshankar Rajebahaddur played a critical role in this war. After winning the fort over, the Vasai Portuguese Church bell was removed and taken in a procession on elephant back till Nashik with great celebration and offered to Naroshankar as a medal - an award for his bravery. It is made of bronze, and six feet in diameter. The year engraved on it is 1921. The toll of the bell is said to be heard up to about 5 kilometers. This bell and its ringing is so famous that there is a title in Marathi "Naroshankarachi ghanta" which is given to a woman talking loudly!
Panchavati is a good side trip while you visit Nasik. You would not require more than a couple of hours to explore Panchavati so plan your trip accordingly. There are plenty of temples around to worship in, depending on ones beliefs. For more information on all the temples in and around Panchavati, and there are plenty, Click here
Or you may just soak in the religious ambience, walk around and amuse yourself at the various con games being played out by the so called priests making a living exploiting the religious sentiments of the pilgrims. We were swarmed by these on arrival and given a list of our sins that could be washed away here by various rituals! The minute they sighted the ashes urn, they listed out different rites and rituals which once performed, there would be no need ever to even think of performing a ritual for the deceased as all their souls would have acquired 'moksha' or freed from the cycle of rebirth!
Then you have the fruit/meal vendors who at a price would distribute fruits and or meals to the poor. They too have rates to suit every pocket depending on the type of charity that you wish to indulge in starting from Rs.100/- which would be eight dozen bananas distributed among those lining the steps for handouts.
If you intend spending a day there, for whatever reasons, you would be well advised to carry packed lunch/snacks and bottled water. There are plenty of stalls selling snacks and stuff but I did not see any place worth having a bite out there. This could possibly be because nobody goes there to eat or sleep. Whoever that goes there goes with a definite purpose and leaves the minute it is over. Mostly it is people who go there to perform the last rites/rituals of immersing the ashes of ones' beloved. The others are those who wish to experience Ramayana.
Panchavati is at a distance of about 5kms from Nasik and around 190kms from Mumbai. We set out from Mumbai at 0630 and reached Panchavati at 1100hrs.
The roads were mostly good except on the ghats which were potholed and bad, although one must admit that the authorities had started patching up the bad roads. There were plenty of waterfalls of various sizes along the way that one could stop and revel in.
The Mumbai Nasik route during the monsoons is very picturesque with rolling greens and as you traverse through the Kasara ghats you are actually driving through dense clouds!
The visibility on certain stretches is just about 50metres! It is an enthralling sight to watch all vehicles crawling with their hazard lights blinking. The signage all along is very good and does not leave you wondering at any crossroads.
Enroute, along the highway, there are a couple of good places to eat like 'Bhagat Tarachand' which serves up wholesome vegetarian food at reasonable prices and 'Manas' which is good for both vegetarians and the non vegetarians too. Manas has a bar but Bhagat Tarachand does not.
Bhagat Tarachand is near Vashind, closer to Mumbai while Manas is in Igatpuri, closer to Nasik. Manas is a motel while Bhagat Tarachand is only a restaurant. So take your pick! And then of course once you reach Nasik the choices are limitless. Once in Nasik, you can also plan a visit to Shirdi and Trimbakeshwar. Shirdi is famous for its 'Sai Baba' and Trimbakeshwar for its 'swayambhu' (naturally occurring) Shiva temple which is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, a must visit for all Lord Shiva devotees. There is a belief that anybody who visits Trimbakeshwar attains salvation. It is considered to be the holiest place to perform Shraddha ceremony as mentioned in 'Nirnaya Sindhu' - a religious book of Hindus. Non Hindus are not allowed inside the temple but one can get a clear view from outside. Trimbakeshwar is about thirty kilometers west of Nasik, and if you are going from Mumbai, you have the diversion before reaching Nasik. So, you can either do it on your way to Nasik or Panchavati or on your way back to Mumbai. About 8km south of Nasik, off the Mumbai Nasik highway, is a group of 24 rock cut Hinayana Buddhist caves dating from around the 1st century BC. They are know as 'Pandav Leni' or the 'Pandavas' caves. The Pandavas are supposed to have spent some time there. Some of them have excellent carvings on the doorways. Of them, caves 3, 10 and 18 are noteworthy. Cave 3 and cave 10 are viharas with some interesting sculptures. There is a carved Buddha in Cave 10. Cave 18 is a Chaitya, well sculptured with an elaborate facade which is particularly noteworthy.
Shirdi is at a distance of about seventy five kilometers from Nasik. Shirdi is famous for 'Sai Baba'. Saibaba is believed to have arrived at the village of Shirdi when he was about sixteen years old. He took up residence in a Khandoba temple, where a villager (Mahalsapathi) at worship first called him Sai ("saint"). Bearing an extremely simple and ascetic life, Sai Baba lived in the village as a mendicant monk. His inherent charisma soon began attracting followers. He has been attributed numerous miracles which still live expanding the list of his devotees. Presently, Shirdi is almost a twin city of Nasik and offers almost all if not more facilities available in Nasik.
All these places are easily accessible from Mumbai which is very well connected to the world by air, rail, sea and road. Due to this the opportunities for the type of visits from Mumbai are plenty. You could plan on a day trip, wherein you just visit Shirdi or Panchavati. Or maybe an overnighter at Nasik which would be the base from where you can visit Trimbakeshwar and Panchavati one day and Shirdi and
Pandav Leni the next, on the way back to Mumbai. Or maybe a two nighter wherein you could also spend a night at the beautiful hill station Bhandardara which is at a distance of about eighty kilometers from Nasik off the Nasik Mumbai highway. All These places are tourist oriented and hence offer accomodation and cuisine to suit all pockets and palates.
For more on Bhandardara Click here
To read about Trimbakeshwar Click here